Gravity
by lighthouse11
Summary: Months after finding out the truth about Supergirl and falling out with Kara, Lena is kidnapped, but finds that she is not the only one. While confronting feelings she's been blocking out, Lena is forced to make a painful decision.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, etc.

I am also uploading this on AO3

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Lena pressed send on the final email that needed to go that evening and looked at the time. Only twenty to nine. She leant back in her chair and sighed. She could go home. There was alcohol at home. Since falling out with Kara a couple of months back, Lena had removed all alcohol from her office as a safety measure, deciding it was better just to get drunk at home. Also, only having alcohol at home forced her to actually go there. Her other option now was to go to the lab and tinker, but without a clear project, Lena knew that aimlessly playing with the equipment would cause her mind wander back to Kara.

The idea of numbness provided by liquor won over, and Lena stood up, grabbed her bag, turned off the lights and headed for the elevator. As usual, she was the last one in the office, and standing in the elevator, Lena found herself wondering if she preferred the peace that brought or the distraction of everyone else around. The elevator stopped on the ground floor and the doors opened.

Her high heels clicked as she walked across the lobby. The security guard sitting behind the reception desk glanced up to see who was passing, before looking back down at his phone, and the other guard at the door gave Lena a smile as she approached. Lena forced a smile in return. It had been some time since she'd smiled genuinely.

"Evening," said the guard, opening the smaller glass door, the main doors having been locked some time ago.

"Evening," Lena said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, as the guard had positioned himself in such a way beside the door that Lena had to walk very close to him. This man was usually the one behind the desk, lucky to look up from his phone. "Don't poke me!" Lena hissed, as the man touched her side.

_Click._

Lena's eyes widened.

"I've got a car waiting for you, Miss Luthor," the guard said, stepping outside with Lena, walking close by her side, the gun in his hand hidden by slightly too-long sleeves of his jacket.

Lena stiffened and glanced about the street as she walked to the black car parked out the front of the building. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to kill her, but getting the security team at her own office was certainly different.

"You can try to run," the guard said quietly, "But I'll just shoot you in the leg." He lowered the gun from Lena's side and opened the backseat door of the car. "Good evening, Miss Luthor," he said, taking Lena's bag as she climbed inside.

Lena saw that there was another man in the back seat. The door closed, and the car took off. In a few quick movements before Lena could fully process what was going on, the man had grabbed her wrists, hand-cuffed her, then strapped the seatbelt across her.

"Who the hell are you people?" Lena asked.

"I'm BJ, that's Billy driving."

"Hey," said Billy, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.

Lena looked around the car. The windows were so dark, she could hardly see where they were going. "Who do you work for?" she demanded.

"We're self-employed," BJ said. "Just a couple of couriers."

"People-smuggling, you mean?"

"No, no," said BJ, "Usually just furniture, machine parts, urgent packages, airport transfers. We've got a four-tonne truck for large items."

"You know this is kidnapping," Lena said.

"It's a cash-job," said BJ. "Just got to get the package safely to it's destination."

"Which is?" Lena asked. Billy was speeding through the streets of National City, and Lena wouldn't have been surprised if at some stage he'd doubled-back to throw her sense of direction.

"Haha, clever. Nah, sorry, can't tell you that one."

It wasn't that clever, Lena thought. "You'll go to prison for this," Lena said.

"Ah well. Catch-up with some of the boys again, hey Billy?"

Billy chuckled.

"They new shoes?" BJ asked.

"Yes - what, why…?" Lena stumbled over her words.

"Nice," Bj said, reaching down and pulling off Lena's shoes. "Genuine YSL I guess. Like new, should get a hundred or so for them on eBay."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Lena asked.

"Nuh," said BJ. "You're just a package. We never ask what the package is. That would be rude. Not our business."

Lena's mind raced as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She knew she needed to calm down - this wasn't the time to work herself into a panic. The car slowed, and Lena tried to look out the window. The golden street lights had disappeared, and now there was white fluorescent light. The car came to a stop. BJ unclicked her seatbelt, and the door opened.

A chubby bald man yanked Lena out of the car. Lena looked around the underground carpark, the concrete cold under her stockinged feet.

"We got her here, safe and sound," BJ said.

The bald man scoffed.

"Well, er, assuming you're the guy who called us, you've got our number if you need us again," BJ said.

The bald man slammed the door shut and mumbled "morons," as the car took off. "Walk," he said, and Lena felt something poke her in the back.

"I'm unarmed, handcuffed, I don't know where I am, and you're about twice my size, all of which gives me little choice but to do what you say," Lena hissed, "So you can get that damned thing away from me."

"Left your handbag with all your goodies in your office, hey?" the man said, holstering his weapon. "Toward the door if you will, Miss Luthor," he said, gesturing towards a service door with a red 'Authorised Access Only' sign on it. As they approached, Lena noticed that the door was ajar, and a man on the other side pushed it open.

"Evenin'," he said, giving Lena a look that made her want to recoil, but she was damned if she was going to show these fools any fear. Perhaps the whole operation was more thought-out than the two 'couriers' made it seem. The security guard back at the office had taken her bag, which meant that if anyone was to search for her phone's location, it would say she was still at the office. Lena scoffed; there was only one person who'd be concerned as to her whereabouts, and they weren't coming to her rescue now.

Lena followed the bald man down a narrow concrete service corridor, with the creepy man behind, undoubtably staring at her backside. There were pipes and wires along the walls and roof, the occasional door or metal ladder, the floor was damp in sections, and fluorescent lights completing the industrial effect. They stopped in front of a door towards the end of the hallway. "Just me. Got the guest," he called as he tapped on the door.

Lena could smell the breath of the man behind her. "It's a long corridor," Lena said, "Do you mind giving me a tiny bit of space?"

The door opened. "Ladies first, Miss Luthor," the bald man said, ushering Lena inside. Lena stepped into the small concrete room. There were another two men and a women, the latter tied to a plastic garden chair. Lena's stomach dropped. The door closed behind her and the bald man bolted the door. "Move," he said, gently pushing Lena's back.

Lena stumbled into the middle of the room. "K - Kara," she said, ashamed that her voice cracked.

"Oh, hey Lena," Kara said, looking up and trying to sound casual despite the situation. "Long time, no see. Just - just do everything our friendly local kidnappers say, ok? Lena?" Kara said as Lena shook her head.

Lena noticed pale green veins running down Kara's hands. "No, no, Kara, I - "

"Lena," Kara said calmly, looking Lena in the eyes, "I'm ok, ok? But you have to do what they say."


	2. Chapter 2

Lena looked around the room at the four men, none of whom she recognised. "Who's behind this?" she demanded.

"You might be boss at L-Corp," the bald man said, "But you don't make the calls here."

"Let Kara go," Lena said with gritted teeth.

"What part of 'you're not the boss here' don't you understand?" he bald man asked.

The creepy looking man, who was still standing too close to Lena, sniggered.

"If that man is going to continue to stand disgustingly close to me, can someone at least give him a mint," Lena said.

The man swung his arm and punched Lena in the side at the bottom of her ribs, knocking the air out of her. The bald man grabbed Lena's right arm to stop her from falling. "Hey!" he yelled at his colleague.

"Lena!" Kara cried.

"I'll teach her to talk to me like that," the creepy man said as Lena straightened up and blinked back tears.

"Sometimes the truth hurts," Lena said, catching Kara's eye. Perhaps it was a trick of the awful fluorescent light, but Lena was sure Kara's eyes weren't usually that green.

"You can have her later," the bald man said, "Swap places with Chip."

The man blew Lena a kiss and swapped places with a man with a patchy beard who had been standing beside Kara.

"Lena, please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but you…"

"I deal with this shit all day," Lena said, trying to regulate her breathing. "I can take one more bastard who thinks he's better than me just because of what's between his legs."

"No, Lena, please just…" Kara said, wriggling to try and make herself more comfortable.

Lena looked at her. One of Kara's sleeves had ridden up, showing that the green lines of kryptonite poisoning went up her arms too. The ropes which tied her to the chair must have been soaked in it, and it appeared to be just enough to sap Kara's powers and leave her in an uncomfortable, but manageable amount of pain. "What the hell is this all about?" Lena asked, looking back a the bald man, "You let her go. Can't you see you're hurting her?"

"Lena, you don't have to protect me," Kara said softly.

"We know what she is," the bald man said.

"In that case," Lena said, drawing herself up to her full height, "If you know what she is and who I am, I suggest you let us both go right now before we - "

"Ugh, enough," the bald man said, rolling his eyes and pulling out his gun.

Lena recoiled.

"Take it," the man said, holding it to Lena.

"What? No."

"Take the fucking gun, Miss Luthor," the bald man said, pushing the handle against her chest.

"No," Lena repeated, taking another step back.

"Lena, take the gun," Kara said.

"Kara, whatever is going on here, you are clearly not in control of the situation, so you do not get to tell me what to do," Lena said.

"I'm sorry, Lena," Kara said. "I'm so sorry, I - "

The bald man grabbed Lena's hand and shoved the gun it in. "Shoot her," he commanded, nodding towards Kara.

"No!" Lena said, dropping the gun.

The bald man bent down, picked the weapon up and fired it into the ground.

_BANG!_

The bullet crashed into the floor an inch from Lena's foot. Lena squealed and jumped aside, being grabbed by Chip who stopped her from falling. Lena and Kara's eyes followed the mangled green bullet as it rolled across the floor.

"Next time I won't fucking miss," the bald man said, pulling Lena back into position and shoved the gun into her hands. "Point it at Supergirl."

Lena held the gun with shaking hands, her heart pounding in her chest. "I can't do it," she said, looking at Kara, "I can't shoot you."

"Lena, it's ok," Kara said softly.

"No it's not!" Lena snapped. "This is not ok, this is - "

"But I thought you wanted to hurt her?" the bald man said, "She hurt you, after all. And now you get your revenge. Justice. Vengeance. Whatever you want to call it."

Lena shook her head, emotions threatening to take over. "No. No, you - you shouldn't know… you shouldn't… This is enough. Let her go."

"Oh Miss Luthor, we all know that's not happening. Not yet, anyway," the bald man smirked.

Lena looked back at Kara, fighting back tears. "I don't want to hurt you. Not really, not like this. I - "

"Come on Lena," Kara said, her face hardening. "As if you haven't thought about this. Well, here you go, Lena. Here's your chance."

"W - what? Kara, no, I - "

"What, you're going to chicken out now?" Kara snapped. "Don't be so weak. It's pathetic. Stop shaking and fire the damned gun. Show a bit of courage. What would you family say if they saw you now? They'd be embarrassed you hadn't pulled the trigger yet. Look at you, in ripped stockings and no shoes. Where are your shoes, Lena? Pathetic."

Lena closed her eyes and shook her head. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Kara asked. "Why do you think I kept my identity secret? I knew I couldn't trust you. I knew you'd just go running back to your precious family. Though looking at you know, I don't think they'd want you either."

Lena glanced around the room, her eyes filled with tears. Their captors looked on awkwardly. "This - you don't…"

"You're so weak, Lena! You don't have the guts to do what you need to. Not really, not when it comes down to it. You're weak and pathetic and - "

"STOP IT!" Lena yelled, her hands shaking so much she could hardly hold the gun. "Kara, for god's sake, shut-up! You - I know what you're doing. You're riling me up. It's not going to work. You would never mean that. Not you. Not - I can't shoot you, Kara. I can't."

Kara sighed and shivered. Her face softened. "Worth a try," she said quietly, trying to catch Lena's eye.

"We finished with therapy time?" the bald man asked, "Now, shoot her and get one with it."

"No," Lena said.

"Lena," Kara sighed.

The bald man pulled out another gun from inside his jacket and jabbed it under Lena's shoulder-blade. Following his lead, the two men either side of Kara pulled out their weapons and pointed them at her, and Chip held his gun against Lena's hip.

"Now we're getting impatient. Even late-night Chinese take-away places have closing time," the bald man said.

Lena closed her eyes and wished herself away. She wished she'd stayed at the office, gone to the lab, gotten angry at herself as her thoughts drifted back to Kara. Kara, who was now only a couple of feet away, tied up with Kryptonite-laced rope. Lena racked her brain to try and find a way out.

"Lena, it's ok," Kara said gently.

Did Kara know something Lena didn't? Or was she just so damned calm to stop Lena from panicking? Was she still trying to save her, sacrifice herself so that Lena could get out? Lena opened her eyes, and saw the creepy man to Kara's left staring at her. He ran his tongue along his teeth, and Lena knew that either way, she wasn't getting out. Lena's eyes again met Kara's. Lena shook her head. "Kara, I am so sorry, but I - I just…"

"I know," Kara said. "I was wrong to keep things from you, and I am so sorry. But right now, Lena, I - I can't watch them hurt you. Please, I need you to trust me and - "

"No, Kara, I don't need to trust you. Not right now," Lena said getting a sudden spark of inspiration, and briefly glanced up at the ceiling before looking back at Kara. "But I need you to trust me and know that if nothing else, I do believe in Supergirl. That - I'll always do that."

"What?" Kara asked.

"I believe in Supergirl," Lena breathed, looking into Kara's eyes.

Kara gave a nod, "Take the shot, Lena. Do it now."

_BANG!_


	3. Chapter 3

For a moment there was silence and darkness before the room erupted with gunfire.

Lena crashed heavily to the floor, pain surging through her body, though she was unable to pin-point the source. Bullets ricocheted around the room, and though Lena could hear people yelling and screaming, she couldn't tell if any were Kara. Lena lay curled up on the floor, making herself as small as possible and covered her head as best she could, closing her eyes and waiting for it all to end.

…

The light went out the moment the bullet from the gun in Lena's hand hit it, and shards of the shattered plastic casing rained down. Kara knew she only had seconds, if that, before all hell broke loose. Despite the pain in her wrists and ankles from the Kryptonite-laced ropes, she threw herself to the floor, which allowed her to pull her feet free from the chair.

Gunfire started, bullets rebounding off the walls and floor of the small room, and Kara could only cry out as she watched Lena collapse to the ground.

_I believe in Supergirl._

Kara yelled and tore free of the ropes binding her wrists. The gunfire stopped as their four captives lay dead, having accidentally taken each other out, assuming that Lena was still part of the fight. But Lena had only fired one shot. Kara crawled across the ground towards her, feeling weak and lightheaded from the Kryptonite poisoning. She'd been tied up for a a couple of hours before Lena had been brought in, allowing the poison plenty of time to enter her system.

"Lena?" Kara asked, leaning over Lena's body. She gently placed her hand on Lena's shoulder. "It's ok now. We can - I - " Kara struggled for words as she noticed how much blood was on Lena. Kara lent down and snapped the handcuffs off Lena's wrists. "Lena? Lena? Are you conscious? I can hear your heartbeat. You sound shocked. You - you don't sound well. Umm, I'd say open your eyes, but there's not much to see. Umm, Lena? We need to get out of here, ok?"

Kara forced herself to sit up properly. There was a narrow line of light coming in from under the door. Kara took a deep breath and used her heat vision to blast the door open. The light from the hallway filled the small room. Kara tried not to look at the bodies and the blood spatter and focus on Lena.

"Time to go," Kara said, but her head spun as she moved and she was only just able to stop herself from falling on top of Lena. Kara looked around the room, and saw the mangled Kryptonite bullets scattered about. She was too close to them to begin healing, but she could hear Lena's heart rate dropping as the adrenaline wore off and the blood loss continued. Kara steadied herself, scooped Lena up, and flew out of the room, down the hallway and out of the service door into the empty underground carpark.

Lena moaned, her blouse and skirt soaked in blood that Kara couldn't tell the origin of.

"I know it hurts," Kara said, stopping and lying Lena down as gently as she could. Kara sat down beside her. Looking at Lena in the cold, fluorescent light made Kara want to cry. Her own body ached, she was close to powerless, neither of them had phones on them, and Lena was slowly bleeding out.

"What do I do, Lena?" Kara asked, unable to think straight. It would be so easy just to stop, to curl up beside Lena and wait for someone to find them.

Lena moaned again, her eyes screwed up in pain.

"Good idea," Kara mumbled, as much to herself as to Lena. Saving Lena came first. She had to put her own pain aside and use whatever power she had left to get Lena to hospital. Kara braced herself and scooped up Lena, who gave a short cry of pain. Kara took a few wobbly steps, then flew as fast as her body would allow her out of the underground carpark and into the dark city streets. It took seconds to get her bearings, but they were seconds Lena didn't have.

"Hold on, Lena," Kara begged, "We're nearly there."

Kara flew as directly as she could for National City General Hospital. With every second, Kara could hear Lena's heart rate slowing, and her breath becoming more laboured. Kara flew too fast to allow for tears, though her head spun and her body urged her to stop. A few seconds later Kara landed in an alleyway to the side of the hospital where the bins were kept, and carried Lena inside the ER on foot.

"I need help!" Kara called. "Help, my friend's been shot! She - she's - "

"Ma'am, are you - " a nurse began.

"Please! You have to help her!" Kara cried, tears finally falling.

Within moments a blur of medical staff surrounded Kara, taking Lena and placing her on stretcher bed, and wheeling her out of sight. Kara could hear them calling medical terms to one another as they hurried away, but her head was too muddled and sore to make sense of any of it.

"Ma'am, what's your friends name?" a nurse with a clipboard asked.

It took Kara a second to realise that the nurse was taking to her. Kara wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, and noticed that her hands were covered with blood. "I - umm. She's Lena. Lena Luthor."

The nurse looked up and raised an eyebrow. "_The_ Lena Luthor?" she asked.

"Yes," Kara spat. "Is that an issue?"

"No, ma'am. No issue. Now, do you want to see someone yourself, or - "

"No, I - " Kara looked down at herself, and noticed that there was blood all over her cardigan and jeans. "I'm ok."

"You sure?" the nurse asked, looking at Kara's red-raw wrists.

"Yeah, fine," Kara said, crossing her arms in a lame attempt to hide her injuries. "I - should go home. Get changed. Come back later."

"Good idea," said the nurse.

"Yeah," Kara said, and walked out of the ER, half in a trance, barely noticing the other people there staring at her blood-soaked clothes, and their surprise that a skinny woman like Kara could have carried her lifeless friend unaided.

Kara made her way back to the dark alleyway before taking off again. It was easier to fly without carrying Lena, but now her arms felt empty and useless. Despite her aching body and waning powers, Kara shot up as high as she dared, grateful for the fresh, cold air at altitude. She did need to go home, but not to her own house. She needed help.

Golden light shone from behind the curtain's of Alex Danver's bedroom. Kara was grateful Alex was still awake as she knocked on the window. She waited a moment for the curtain to be drawn aside, and waved when she saw Alex. Alex's eye's widened as she saw Kara floating outside her bedroom, and she flung the window open.

"Kara! What the hell are you playing at?" she hissed as Kara climbed inside and Alex shut and locked the window and closed the curtains again. "You'd better have one heck of a good reason to be - "

"Alex…" Kara said, holding onto Alex's dressing table for support. "Everything's gone wring and I… I don't - they shot Lena and she's in hospital and I - I don't…"

"Holy shit, Kara," Alex said, looking at Kara. "Get in the bathroom."

"What?"

"You are covered in blood! You are not getting that all over my carpet!"

"It's not mine," Kara said, allowing Alex to lead her into the bathroom.

Alex turned on the light and Kara sat down on the edge of the bath.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I'm so…"

"Shut-up," Alex said, grabbing a clean face-cloth and running it under the tap. She washed Kara's face. "What happened? What do you mean Lena got shot?"

"I walked into a trap. I knew it was a trap but I - it was worse than I thought. And then they got Lena but she wouldn't play along and I don't know if that saved us or made everything worse or - "

"Oh god," Alex said, having taken Kara's hand and seeing her wrist. "I'm taking you to the DEO."

"No! No, please no, I'm ok," Kara said, tears welling in her eyes. "I'll be ok, I promise."

"You need yellow sunlight…"

"I'm healing already, I promise," Kara lied.

"No, Kara, you need - "

"Alex, listen to me!" Kara cried, grabbing Alex by the hand. "Please. I don't need the Director the the DEO. That isn't why I came here. I need help. I need my sister. I need you to tell me that everything is going to be ok."


	4. Chapter 4

Alex sighed and leant against the basin. "So you want my comfort as a sister, but probably also my resources as the Director of the DEO?" she asked.

Kara nodded and looked at the tiles. "Lena needs help," she said softly.

"You need help. Have you seen what you look like?"

Kara shrugged.

Alex sighed again. "If you're refusing medical help, fine, you're a big girl and that's your call. But you are not wandering around my house in blood-soaked clothes. I'll grab you a towel and something to wear. If you can shower by yourself, you can stay here. But if I have to help you, I'm taking you to the DEO. Deal?"

Kara nodded, too tied and drained to argue.

"I'll make some calls," Alex said, going to get the towel. "What hospital is Lena at?"

"National City General," Kara said. "It was closest."

"Do they know her name?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you take her to the DEO?" Alex asked, returning with a towel.

"I knew you wouldn't be there. I didn't know who would, and if they'd be the right people and know about me and her and be doctors and the right doctors and - "

"Ok, fair enough. Why didn't you call?"

"No phone."

"What about Lena?"

"Lena didn't have shoes, much less her phone," Kara said.

"I'll make some calls," Alex said. "If you take too long in the shower, I'm gunna assume you've collapsed."

"Fair enough," Kara said, pushing herself up from the edge of the bath.

"I'll leave you to it," Alex said, closing the bathroom door behind her.

Kara swallowed. She caught her reflection in the mirror and quickly looked away. There was blood on the ends of her hair, and splatter near her hairline. Kara realised that Alex must have washed the rest of the blood spatter off. Kara quickly stripped off, dumping her spoiled clothes in the bath, and climbed into the steaming hot shower. The wounds on her wrists and ankles stung, but it was manageable. Kara allowed herself a minute to cry, then washed her hair three times, and twice scrubbed her body with Alex's nice smelling body wash. Deciding she couldn't get any cleaner or take any longer without Alex coming in to check on her, Kara got out of the shower and gently dried off.

"Hey Alex?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"Got any clothes for me?"

"Just a sec," Alex called back.

Kara waited, wrapped in the towel, her partially-dried hair slowly dripping down her back.

"You decent?" Alex asked.

"I'm in a towel," Kara said.

Alex chuckled and opened the door. "Underwear, t-shirt, leggings, and that hoody is yours anyway."

"Thanks," Kara said, as Alex placed the clothes on the bench beside the basin.

"Get dressed, then I'm bandaging you up," Alex said, looking at Kara's wrists and ankles. "And don't you dare say 'I'm ok', because that is a damned lie."

"Ok," Kara said sheepishly.

Alex gave her a gentle smile. "Get dressed," she said, closing the door. "I've made some phone calls."

"Oh?" Kara said, pulling on the underwear.

"I've got DEO people guarding Lena. Plus made a couple of changes to her medical team. As soon as there is any news, they are to call me directly."

"Oh," Kara said, gently pulling the sleeves of the hoody up over her injured wrists. "But - no news yet?" she asked, feeling her chest tighten.

"You left her there half an hour ago, Kara," Alex said.

"Oh," Kara said again, wrapping her hair up in the towel. She opened the door. Alex was leaning agains the wall. "I think there were worse possible outcomes than this," Kara said, "But this is still pretty lousy."

"Come on," Alex said, putting her arm around Kara's shoulders as they made their way into the lounge room. Kara sat down on the couch, and looked at the oversized first-aid kit and jug of water and glasses sitting on the coffee table. Kara poured herself a glass and drained the whole thing before pouring another and doing the same.

Alex sat down beside her. "So what happened?" she asked.

Kara put the glass down and held her hand out to Alex. "It started as your standard 'superhero knowingly walks into a trap thinking they have it covered but turns out they're missing a kind of important piece of information so everything goes south fast' scenario," Kara said as Alex gently began patching her up.

"In civilian clothes?"

"It wouldn't have been much of a trap if I'd gone in powers blazing as Supergirl, now would it?" Kara asked.

"So it was a trap for Kara Danvers?"

"No, it was a trap for Supergirl, but I was hoping, stupidly, that as Kara I could get away with it. But they knew. They knew both identities."

"So what happened?"

"They had synthesised Kryptonite. From the moment I walked in I knew something was off. A few times I thought I understood what was going on. Even once they'd captured me I thought I'd just play along, find out their endgame, who the Big Bad was or whatever. I don't know. But I was wrong. Because the endgame was bringing in Lena. It didn't matter that I'd been sitting there tied up with Kryptonite-laced rope for a couple of hours, as soon as the car stopped in the carpark, I knew it was her."

Alex nodded. "And then?" she said, prompting Kara to continue, while she tucked in the ends of the bandage and took Kara's other wrist.

Kara sighed and explained what happened next, from trying to taunt Lena, to the shoot-out, to flying Lena to safety. Kara pulled the sleeves of her hoody over her bandaged wrists and lifted her feet into Alex's lap.

"So what were they after?" Alex asked.

"I don't know," Kara said, hugging a spare cushion. "I thought I knew, but I - Lena's appearance threw all my theories out. I don't even know if they wanted to hurt her all along and I was just the bait? Or did they want to hurt me by hurting her? Were we both supposed to die? I - I just don't…"

"You two haven't even spoken since…"

"Exactly!" Kara exclaimed, feeling the tears return. "So, I don't know…"

Alex nodded, and started tending of Kara's left foot. "I'll make some enquiries. See what I can find out. Send a squad to clean up the mess."

"It - this feels personal," Kara said. "Whoever's behind it knows I'm Supergirl. They know how to synthesise Kryptonite and how to use it against me. And they - they knew about me and Lena. They knew she was mad at me. The things they knew… people shouldn't know that."

"Well, Lena doesn't exactly have a short list of enemies…"

"But they knew about me too, Alex! There's not many people on both lists."

"Agreed," Alex said, tucking in the ends of the bandage. "Done. You need to get some sleep."

"No, I'm ok. I want to go to the hospital. I need to see Lena and I - "

"No," Alex said, "You need to sleep, but I'll make you a deal again. I'll call a car for three in the morning, and we'll go to the hospital together. There's no point in going any earlier, and if you show up looking like you do now, you'll be admitted yourself. Get a few hours rest. Let me try and sort some of this out."

"Your deals suck," Kara mumbled, but was too exhausted to argue. She let Alex pull her off the couch, and hold her hand as she walked into Alex's bedroom. Kara removed the towel frothier hair while Alex pulled back the sheets. Kara slipped into bed.

"I'm sorry to be a nuisance," Kara muttered, lying down.

"You're not a nuisance," Alex said, tucking her in. "Now go to sleep. Everything will be ok," she kissed Kara on the head and turned out the light.

As Kara was drifting off to sleep, she could hear Alex on the phone and it wasn't comforting.

"Hello? - Yes, speaking. - Good evening Doctor. - Right. - Ok. - Uh huh…"


	5. Chapter 5

"Kara? It's half-past two. I thought you might like to have something to eat before we go. There's leftover pizza, if you'd like me to heat it up."

Kara exhaled loudly and rolled onto her back. She'd been enjoying the sleep, and it took her a moment to orientate herself. Alex was sitting on the side of the bed, her hand on Kara's shoulder. "Yes," Kara mumbled.

"Ok, I'll go put it in the microwave. I'll brief you once you've eaten, and I want to check your injuries too. If you're not healing - "

"You'll take me to the DEO. I know. I got it."

"Good," Alex said and stood up.

Kara allowed herself to lie in Alex's bed for a couple of minutes, listening to her sister in the kitchen. Alex's phone pinged, and Alex typed a quick reply. Kara rolled back onto her side and cuddled the pillow. Everything had gone wrong, and now Lena was hurt, Lena was…

"Alex?" Kara asked, her stomach in a knot as she sat up, still holding the pillow. "Have you heard from the hospital?"

"What?" Alex asked as the microwave beeped and her phone pinged again.

Kara climbed out of bed and hurried across to the kitchen. "Have you heard from the hospital about Lena?" Kara asked in a panic.

Alex took the plate of leftover pizza out of the microwave and placed it on the table. "She's not dead, if that's what you're worried about."

"What?"

"She's ok, all things considered. I want to assess her myself," Alex said, "Sit down and eat."

"You don't trust the doctors?"

"I want to give my own opinion. Lena's strong, we know that."

"Wait - Alex, what - what's…?" Kara's eyes again filled with tears.

"She's ok, Kara. I promise," Alex said, walking over to Kara and giving her a hug. "She lost a fair bit of blood and she's a bit worse for wear, but she'll be ok. Nothing that can't be fixed."

Kara leant into Alex. "You have terrible bedside manner sometimes, you know?" she sniffed.

"Probably because I haven't actually been to bed," Alex replied.

"I'm sorry," Kara said.

"I know," Alex said, rubbing her on the back. "Your eyes are still green-tinged," she said, gazing into Kara's eyes.

"I feel better than before."

"Well, your lies match my bedside manner," Alex said. "Now eat the pizza before I do."

Kara sat down and stuffed half a piece of pizza in her mouth.

"There is a problem though," Alex said.

"Mmm?" Kara asked.

"At the crime scene - you said there were four guys?"

"Mmhmm," Kara nodded.

"Four bodies."

"Mmm."

"And they were definitely dead?"

Kara gulped down half a glass of water. "Yep," she said, taking another large bite of pizza. She hadn't realised how starving she was.

"You're certain, Kara, that they were dead?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Alex sighed and swore under her breath. "Because when the crews got there, there was no one. It was empty."

"Maybe they had the wrong location?" Kara asked, having another drink and moving onto the second slice of pizza.

Alex shook her head. "Definitely the right place. It looks like a scene out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Which is a problem in itself, actually. Shoot-outs shouldn't look like B-grade blood and gore horror scenes, and that did. There was a lot of blood. An unnatural amount of blood for that sort of scenario. I've got pictures. We're not even sure it was all real."

"But I saw…" Kara looked at the plate. She hadn't watched the shootout. She'd been too busy trying to free herself, and after that had eyes only for Lena. "I…"

"We're running tests on the samples now. And my word, were there a lot of samples."

"Alex, I - what are you trying to say?" Kara asked, pizza in hand.

Alex sighed. "I think it was faked. The shootout. Maybe they knew Lena wouldn't shoot you. Maybe she was in on it, maybe - "

"WHAT? No, no way, Alex. I could hear her heartbeat. She was terrified. What she said - no. No way, she… no."

"Ok, ok," Alex said, "It's not a theory I like either. But think about the whole scenario. Why weren't you hit? Lena was directly hit twice, and twice more by ricochets. If they were aiming at you, even after the lights went out, why weren't you shot to shreds? I think whoever is behind all this wanted you both to suffer."

"But the gunfire…"

"They aimed into the walls and floor at angles that meant the bullets wouldn't ricochet back into them. It's really easy to fire a gun and yell and scream."

Kara shook her head. "But the blood. And they - I'm sure they were dead."

"Pouches of fake blood. And are you sure?" Alex asked. "Really, Kara? Were you really paying them that much attention? No one blames you if you weren't, me least of all. You had to get Lena out. She was your top priority."

"But I - I was sure…"

"It doesn't matter, Kara. Well, it does, but…"

"How did they get away?" Kara asked.

"They got up and walked."

"What?"

"They weren't worried about anyone seeing their footprints. They happily walked through the blood spatter, down the corridor, then got a ride out of there."

"But the carpark was empty…"

"Well, someone picked them up."

Kara sighed and nibbled at the last piece of pizza. "Do you have any leads?"

"Not yet," Alex said. "But whoever this is, with fake blood, fake gunfight, synthesised Kryptonite… This was planned."

"But why didn't they just finish us off? Why not just kill me and Lena?"

Alex looked at Kara. "Because Lena injured and bleeding out in your arms hurts you both a lot more than mutual destruction."

…

It took Kara a moment to get her bearings. It had been dawn when she'd sat down on the couch in the corner of Lena's private room, just to rest for a minute, but now the sun was streaming in. Kara sat up and stretched.

"Oh, look who's awake," Alex smiled, looking up from her phone. They'd arrived at the hospital around half-past three, and were escorted to Lena's room. Lena had looked so delicate and sickly that it had taken Kara almost an hour to find the strength to hold Lena's hand, while Alex took a nap on the couch. As the sun was beginning to rise, Alex woke up, and the sisters swapped places, Alex taking the chair beside Lena's bed to answer the dozens of messages she'd received while asleep, and Kara curling up on the couch.

"What time is it?" Kara asked.

"Coming up eleven," Alex said.

"Have you had any more sleep?"

"Nope. Had about six coffees, though."

"About?"

"I stopped counting after three," Alex said, forcing a smile.

"And Lena?" Kara asked, almost choking on Lena's name. Lena had been shot through the stomach and had a bullet lodge in her right shoulder. Bullets had grazed her hip and ribs, and she'd fractured her right arm when falling, as well as seriously bruising her right shin. But as Alex had repeated more than once, it could have been so much worse.

"She woke up about an hour ago."

"What!?"

"Shhh," Alex said. "Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. She was only awake for about ten minutes, and she was groggy, confused and mostly incoherent. So you know, the standard effects of anaesthetic, trauma, and blood loss."

Kara sighed. "But I - did she…"

"She didn't ask after you as such," Alex said, "But I pointed you out to her, and she looked relieved to see you."

"I wish you'd woken me," Kara said, looking past Alex to where Lena lay asleep. She was so pale, with no colour in her cheeks or lips, and the tubes and wires connected to her made Kara feel sick to the stomach.

"You're healing," Alex said, leaning over to have a closer look at Kara. "You need the rest. And it's working, because guess who's eyes are blue again."

"Is this room north-facing by accident or design?" Kara asked, giving Alex a small smile and enjoying the sunshine on her back.

Alex smiled. "It should be nice and sunny all afternoon. Get some more rest. I'd say Lena will still be out for a little while yet."

"I feel better," Kara said.

"And you look better, but considering how you looked when you showed up at my place last night, that isn't hard. For the record, you show up at my place in the middle of the night again, covered in blood with green eyes, injured, and powerless, I am taking you straight to the DEO, and I don't care what excuses you have."

"Sorry," Kara said, realising how much she must have frightened Alex. "Really."

"Apology accepted," Alex said and smiled softly. "But you still don't look well. Show me your wrists," Alex said, moving her chair over to Kara.

Kara held out her right hand and Alex gently unrolled the bandage.

"I just remembered I'm supposed to be at work," Kara said.

"I've got it covered. You're on sick leave for the rest of the week."

"But I - I don't get sick."

"Well, you're sick now. Hmm, that's looking better, but not great," Alex said, grabbing a fresh bandage out of her bag and wrapping Kara's wrist up again.

"And Lena?"

"Got her covered too."

"People will ask questions."

"They always do."

"What about our friends. They need to - "

"Already covered."

"But - " Kara protested.

"Also, I don't know where your phone is," Alex said, cutting her off.

"And I need to tell Clark. Clark needs to know that there's more synthesised Kryptonite out there."

"I'll send him a message," Alex said, tucking in the ends of the bandage. "Other hand?"

Kara leant away from Alex. "What's wrong. What aren't you telling me?"

"It's fine, I've got everything under control."

"Alex…"

"Give me your hand, Kara."

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with Lena?"

"No, Lena's fine, all things considered. Lucky, even. I've told you that. It could have been so much worse. For both of you."

"Why can't I have my phone, Alex?"

"Honestly, Kara, I don't know where it is. Do you? Because if you do, maybe I can get it back for you."

Kara looked over Alex's shoulder at Lena.

"Kara, you just need to stay here and get some more rest and - "

"What have you found, Alex?" Kara cried, panic rising inside her. "What aren't you telling me?"

Alex sighed and glanced back at Lena before looking at the ground. "I've had to call in a number of favours, but - we got a plate for the car that took Lena, and the one that took the kidnappers from the building. Tracked down the owners of the vehicles, got their bank details. We've been following the money. The guys who took Lena went nowhere, but the others… Now that I've seen you awake, I'm going to go to the DEO for a few hours. I need to be there in person. Trying to do all this on my phone is doing my head in."

"You've been here all this time?"

"I couldn't just leave you," Alex said. "Or Lena. I - I didn't want either of you to wake up alone. I can't lose you, and you can't lose Lena, especially not like this, so…"

Kara sighed and bit her lip to try and stop herself from tearing up, and held her left hand out to Alex. Alex took it and slowly removed the bandage. "You don't have to protect me," Kara said. "But… you've been following the money?"

Alex nodded. "I'll always protect you," she said, and forced a smile though she felt more like crying. "I don't think we've reached the bottom of it yet, considering the amount of shell companies and off-shore banks and encrypted codes, but - my people seem to have found a source."

"Who?" Kara asked.

Alex sighed, and looked down at Kara's wrist. "Yesterday, $10,000 was paid into the account of the guy who owns the getaway car by L-Corp."


	6. Chapter 6

"No," Kara said, pulling her hand away from Alex.

"Kara, please, let me bandage you back up."

"Lena wouldn't…" Kara said, feeling the panic creep up inside her.

"I didn't say it was Lena," Alex said, holding her hand out.

"But she wouldn't - she wasn't - she was so scared, Alex. I could hear her heartbeat, and - "

"I know, you said last night," Alex said. "And I never said it was Lena. It could be any number of high-ranking people at L-Corp. Or anyone else good enough to hack their system. Hacking seems likely, and no system is completely infallible. People are looking into it."

"She - she wouldn't…" Kara said.

"No, I don't believe that Lena would fake her own kidnapping and attempted murder either."

"This is all my fault…"

"What? Kara, how…"

"If I'd told her earlier. If - if she hadn't found out about me the way she did, then things could be different and we couldn't be used against each other like this, and it's all because, because…" Tears filled Kara's eyes.

"Oh, Kara, no…" Alex said, sitting down on the couch beside Kara and patting her hand. "It's going to be ok. We'll find who's behind this. Lena will be ok. She doesn't heal overnight like you do, but she'll be ok. As a doctor, I promise you that physically, she will be ok."

Kara wrapped her arms around Alex's waist and sobbed into her shoulder, finally letting out all the fear and stress of the night before. "I - I should h-have told her…"

"It's ok," Alex said, rubbing Kara's back.

"I couldn't h-help her," Kara sobbed, "I - I didn't. I didn't help and she - she was so scared and saving _me_ and got hurt a-and it's my fault and…"

"It's ok," Alex repeated, rubbing Kara's back feeling somewhat guilty for her part in keeping Kara's secret from Lena. "It's not your fault, Kara. Whatever all this is about, what's happened to Lena is not on you."

…

"Aww, I fell asleep again," Kara mumbled, rolling over on the couch, "Guess I needed it though." She could feel the warm sunlight on her body, and smiled. She felt better, lighter, and kept her eyes closed to just enjoy the sensation. She hadn't realised how much her body had been aching as the poison had faded out of her system.

Kara was happy to lie in the sunlight, listening to her surroundings. The TV was on, playing _The Nanny_, as Fran's voice and laugh were unmistakable. The machinery around Lena quietly beeped and whirred, and medical staff went about their jobs in the rooms and corridors outside of Lena's room. Kara didn't bother to push her hearing further, knowing that being in a hospital she was bound to overhear something distressing, and was too happy to enjoy the moment's peace.

"Any more updates, Alex?" Kara said. She opened her eyes, and saw that the curtains were closed. She turned her head aside and saw a yellow-sun lamp beside the couch. "Aww, Alex. Really?" Kara mumbled. "I would have been all right. You didn't have do this, you - "

"She's not here," Lena breathed.

Kara sat up so fast she almost knocked the lamp over. "Oh my gosh, Lena!" Kara exclaimed, steadying the lamp. She hurried over to the Lena's bedside. "You're awake! Are you ok? Do you feel ok? Are - are you - "

"Alex gave me the special meds. Can't really feel - it's just a fog. I know - it should hurt - but, there's just fog," Lena murmured, looking at Kara. Her eyes were glazed and missing their usual sparkle, she was still deathly pale, and her hair was limp and dishevelled, but she was awake with the bed slightly propped up.

"Ok, good," Kara nodded, gently taking Lena's hand, mindful of the IV in her hand. "Oh, I'm so relieved. I'm so relieved I could kiss you. Oh my goodness."

Lena's mouth twitched in an attempt of a smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you too!" Kara gushed. "Oh, I missed you so much. I'm so sorry, Lena. I'm so sorry that we had to - that I - I mucked everything up. I thought I was doing the right thing, but clearly I wasn't because I hurt you anyway. And thank-you so much for not shooting me, because that really would have hurt and I don't know how we would have gotten out of there. But, no more secrets. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Anything about Supergirl. Anything."

Lena swallowed and stared at Kara. "You - want to kiss me?"

Kara's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed red. "I - I mean, I'm so relieved your ok, because - because last night you - you were so sick. You were bleeding everywhere and I could hear you fading and I was so afraid, I couldn't lose you, not like that, not when it was my fault. And then I just left you here because I didn't know what else to do and I was a mess, I was such a mess. I scared Alex, oh my gosh I owe her so much, obviously she got the lamp as well, so I owe her for that too and she's been taking care of you and me and - "

"K-Kara," Lena breathed, wishing she had the strength to hold Kara's hand tighter, "I - maybe that's why it hurt so much. Finding out - about Supergirl. And you. And it felt like - such betrayal."

"What?" Kara asked.

"Maybe because - not right now, not like this, but - maybe because - I want to kiss you too."

Kara opened her mouth to speak, but found herself at a momentary loss for words. "Lena - I - I didn't know, I - I mean, yes. Yes. Yes, I would like that. A lot."

Lena managed a small smile.

Kara picked up Lena's hand and kissed it. "Lena, I am so sorry about all this. I - "

"I couldn't do it. Hurt you. Not like that. I made you cry. That - I - I couldn't do it, Kara."

"I know," Kara swallowed.

"Couldn't let them hurt you…"

"I know, I know," Kara repeated, "I really wish I could hug you right now. I wish I could just scoop you up and hold you. Everything's going to be ok. I'm ok, and - "

"The poison? From the ropes," Lena said, her eyes moving down to Kara's hand.

"Healing," Kara said, momentarily letting go of Lena's hand to push back the bandage and show her the fading pink scars on her wrist. "They'll be gone all together by this time tomorrow. And Alex said you'll be ok, and - well, we're good, so that - that's something, and um…"

"Yeah," Lena said, feeling a warmth run through her despite all the medication as Kara retook her hand. "It's not quite - how I'd imagined it, but - at least, now we're clear…"

Kara nodded and blinked back happy-tears. "Well, the offer still stands. When you feel up to it, if you have any questions about Supergirl, anything you want to know…"

Lena closed her eyes and gave a small nod. "Maybe later."

"Yeah, later. You can go back to sleep. That's fine. Totally fine. Is - do you know where Alex is?"

"Went home. To change," Lena said, opening her eyes again.

"How long have you been awake?"

"An hour maybe? Alex was here earlier."

"I know, I saw her this morning."

"No. About 4. With the lamp. Knew the sun would - disappear."

"You were awake then?"

"For a bit. She fed me jell-o. It was green. Had a red jell-o before. Nurse fed me, because - no Alex."

Kara nodded, rubbing her thumb against Lena's hand. "Well, if you need any more help with anything, I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you want me too."

Lena gave a nod. "You can stay," she said closing her eyes. "I'd like that."


	7. Chapter 7

"I didn't know what fillings you'd feel like," Alex said, the nurse holding the door open for her as she entered Lena's room with her hands full. "So, I got you three. Figured you'd eat them all anyway."

"Breakfast!" Kara grinned, jumping off the seat beside Lena's bed to help Alex. Kara had had a good eight hours sleep on the couch in Lena's room, leaving the sunlamp on and only turning it off when the natural sun rose at dawn. Lena had slept well over night, and was much more coherent when she'd woken.

"All yours," Alex said, handing Kara a brown paper bag. "Sorry if the bottle of juice squashed any of the bagels."

"They'll look more squashed once I eat them," Kara grinned.

"Oh good, you've got your painful levels optimism and generally overly cheerful hopefulness back," Alex teased, putting her coffee down on the table and an overnight bag on the floor. "Hope I got what you wanted," she said to Lena.

"Whatever's there will be fine," Lena said, grateful that Alex had picked her up some supplies. If she was going to be in hospital for at least another week, she wanted some of her own things.

"Also, I have no breakfast for you, because you're on a strict diet of hospital food for the moment."

"That's ok," Lena said, not feeling like eating anyway.

"Good too see you looking like you intend to stay in the land of the living though," Alex said.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I mean," Alex smirked, "You look appalling, but you look less like death than you did yesterday."

"Alex, be nice," Kara said, between mouthfuls of bagel.

"I'm super nice," Alex said. "I got you that lamp. I got you a pair of glasses. They're in the bag here, somewhere," she said, bobbing down and rummaging through the bag. "But you have to go home later and shower and change. I want my clothes back. Oh, and L-Corp was definitely hacked."

"You didn't think to open with that?" Kara asked.

"I was distracted by the food," Alex said. "Anyway, whoever it was knew the systems, and how to cover their tracks. We're trying to trace the source, but they were very good."

"I suppose that's a relief," Lena said. "At least it's an outsider."

"I guess so. Glasses," Alex said, tossing the glasses over Lena's bed. Kara caught them in one hand, half-eaten bagel in the other.

"I don't know how I never saw it…" Lena said, watching Kara as she put the glasses on.

"You were just - overcome by my general radiance and perfection," Kara said, flipping her hair, and not knowing she had cream cheese on the side of her face. Lena chuckled.

Alex looked askance. "Well, you two seem to have kissed and made up," she mumbled, sipping her coffee.

"What?" Kara exclaimed.

"It's just an expression, Kara," Alex said, "Unless there's something else you want to tell me."

Kara blushed and tried to look sternly at Alex.

Alex winked. "Takes one to recognise one," she said.

"I stopped listening for one moment and now I've lost what this conversation is about," Lena said, looking between the sisters.

"Don't worry," Kara said, taking the second bagel out of the bag, "Alex has lost the ability to mind her own business."

Alex laughed. "This is definitely my business. Well, you know where to find me when you want to talk."

Kara made an extra effort to keep her eyes firmly on her bagel and away from Alex, who was looking far to pleased with herself.

"I'll take that lamp back to the DEO later on, too," Alex said. "I'm guessing it worked?"

Kara swallowed her mouthful of bagel and pushed up the sleeves of her hoody. "No bandages, no marks. Same on my ankles."

Alex walked around the bed for a close inspection. "Very nice," she said, running her thumb over the place on Kara's wrists where 36 hours ago had been angry, burn-like wounds.

"I told you not to worry about me."

"I'm your big sister. It's in the job description."

"Director Danvers?" the nurse asked, poking her head in the door. "Can I see you for a moment?"

"Of course," Alex said, and following the nurse out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"What are they talking about?" Lena asked.

Kara stuffed the last of the second bagel into her mouth, licked her fingers and wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. "There's been a delivery," she said, listening to the conversation on the other side of the wall. "Now they're walking over to the nurses' station. Someone sent flowers."

"What was Alex talking about?" Lena asked. "Was she - was it about us?"

Kara nodded, deciding the third bagel could wait. She took a big drink of juice and put the bottle on the table beside Lena's bed. "She's onto us."

"Tell her," Lena said. "Let her take you home. Go with her to the DEO for a bit if you want to. I'll be right here, watching mindless TV and still not being able to follow it."

Kara chuckled. "The fog will clear."

"I know. I feel like I should be annoyed, but everything is too foggy to allow for annoyance."

Kara smiled. "Alex is coming back."

"I hope she's got my flowers."

"Ugh, it's gunna be the most embarrassing conversation."

"What is?"

"Coming out to her!"

"Why?"

"Because she's my sister. And because - when she came out to me, I - I could have handled it better," Kara confessed. "Plus I - for the past couple of months I - I've wanted to call you. To tell you things. Just everyday things. Like I used to. And I couldn't bring myself to do it, and it felt like - it was worse than any break-up I've had before. I tried to rationalise it but I - I guess… I guess I knew why it felt that way. I just - I had to be honest with myself."

"I've wanted to talk to you too," Lena admitted. "As Kara and Supergirl."

Kara nodded, "I'm sorry. Again."

"I know," Lena breathed. "Anyway, maybe it's lucky I don't have to tell anyone. At least you know Alex'll be supportive. She'll always be on your side."

"I know," Kara squirmed. "It's still gunna be awkward."

Lena chuckled. "Tell me how it goes."

"You know she'll corner you and talk to you about it too."

"Yeah, but that won't be for a while."

The door opened and Alex entered looking grave.

"No flowers?" Kara asked innocently.

"There's a - security problem," Alex said, looking at Lena.

"What?" Lena asked.

"There are very few people who know where you are, and all of them I'd trust with my life. So this is very bad."

Kara noticed that Alex was holding a note. "But it's just flowers, right?" she asked, taking Lena's hand.

"I - I am so sorry to have to ask this," Alex said, "But Lena, are you sure Lex was dead?"

What little colour there was in Lena's face drained away. "I - what - yes. Yes, I - I'm…"

Kara squeezed Lena's hand. "Alex, what the hell is going on?"

"It would make sense," Alex said, "The hacking of L-Corp's finances, the synthesised Kryptonite, the really, really personal attack on you both. The - this note that came with the flowers."

"Read it," Lena breathed, "Please."

"I want to protect you both," Alex said, unfolding the note. "I do, I really do. But I - I don't know what to do about this."

"Do it, Alex," Kara said, feeling her stomach tighten.

Alex pursed her lips. "'Dear Lena'," she read, "'I thought you'd appreciate my gift. It took a bit of work to set up, but I really thought it was what you wanted. I thought you liked shooting those closest to you. I thought you wanted to hurt Supergirl, the way she hurt you. So why didn't you shoot her, Lena? Didn't you want to watch' - sorry," Alex sniffed, "It's so awful, and reading it out loud…"

"Give it here," Kara said, holding out her hand.

Alex passed the note over, sat down on the couch and wiped her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Kara turned the note the right way around and continued reading. "'Didn't you want to watch Supergirl writhe in pain as the Kryptonite poisoned her body? I'm disappointed in you, Lena. Disappointed you didn't have the guts to shoot her. Brain or chest, it wouldn't have mattered. Then you had to have that bright idea. Obviously, I'd realised you might come up with some such scheme. I'd have been embarrassed if you hadn't. Honestly though, I'm disappointed that Supergirl got out, and got you out. It would have been so much sweeter if she hadn't been enough, but I suppose Supergirl gets to save the day one more time. Tell Kara and Alex I say hi and send my regards.

'Your loving brother, Lex.

'PS: I'm sorry you got hurt, but this doesn't make us even. You were collateral in this fight. I'll be back to make sure you go through just as much pain as you put me through when you planted those bullets in my chest.'"

"Oh, god," Lena choked.

Kara let the note fall to the floor and held Lena's hand in both of hers. "It - it mightn't be real. It might be - someone else."

"It's real," Lena said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Fuck," Alex muttered from the couch, her head in her hands. "Lena, I am so sorry. We'll start looking for him straight away. We'll keep you safe. We - " Alex looked up and caught Lena's eye. "We'll try."

Lena swallowed as hot tears ran down her cheeks. "He'll find me. It doesn't matter what we do or where I go. He'll find me. He'll use you both if he has to…"

Kara grabbed a clean paper napkin and dabbed Lena's eyes. "We won't let him do that."

"You don't understand, Kara," Lena said. "He'll wait. He's patient."

"We'll be ready."

Lena shook her head. "I'm the poison. He'll do it again, use us against each other, Alex too. You have to go. You both have to go, you - "

"Lena! Lena, hey," Kara said, resting her hand on Lena's cheek to force her to look at her. "We were apart and he got us both anyway. His stupid plan backfired and look at us now! We are so much stronger together. I'm not letting you go."

"Kara's right," Alex said, standing up and coming over to the bed. "We're not leaving you. Because if we did, he'd already be winning."

"But he knows I'm here…"

"He won't target you now," Alex said, standing beside Kara. "Hitting you while you're still so weak wouldn't do it for him. I'm afraid he'll wait. Like you said, he's patient."

Lena closed her eyes and leant her face into Kara's hand. "Please don't leave me," she whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kara said, and kissed Lena's cheek. "I promise."

* * *

A/N: The end!

I know it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but that's all I've got for this story. I'm sure Season 5 will bring new ideas and stories.

Thanks very much for reading, and for the favourites, follows and comments, they're very much appreciated :)


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